Valkyria Chronicles Redone
by Fangs of Lightning
Summary: A differnet version of Valkyria Chronicles. Will most likely be OOC. Many different pairings.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Valkyria Chronicles.

Bruhl

Welkin Gunther was walking into Bruhl, when he saw the fish. They enticed him so much with all their swimming he just had to stop and draw them.

"You get more and more beautiful every year. Why, you're so beautiful, I'd kiss you if there weren't so many people around," Welkin said as he drew them. He didn't seem to notice people beginning to stare, and continued talking to them. "Oh, I missed you so much. I never stopped thinking about you, you know. Even when I was with Faldio. What? I haven't told you about Faldio? Well, he's a guy I met while at University. He loves history as much as I love nature. He's my best friend. So, what have you been up to lately? Enjoying the sun? It has been nice recently, hasn't it? Lucky you. I wish I could do that. But with the war going on-"

"Who are you?" a female's voice came from behind Welkin. Welkin turned, and saw a young woman he didn't recognize. Her brown hair was in pigtails, and there was a bandana on her head. Her eyes were as brown as her hair. She was also pointing a gun at him, and he knew that wasn't a good sign.

"Welkin Gunther. Is there something wrong, miss?" The young lady looked at him as though she didn't believe him, then noticed his journal.

"What is that? You're a spy, aren't you? Well, you're not going to give that report to your superiors. Give me the book."

"What? It's just drawings... Nothing anyone would understand as some code, really." Welkin held his journal closer to him, relieved when he saw Isara running over.

"Well then why are you hiding it?"

"Welks! Thank goodness you're here." Isara threw her arms around Welkin, holding him a few long moments. "I missed you so much, Welks!" She drew back and noticed the woman. "What are you doing Alicia?"

"Nothing. I just saw him, and I didn't recognize him. That's all."

"You stay away from him, you hussy! He's mine. And I'm not sharing him." Isara grabbed Welkin's arm and started pulling him off towards town. A gunshot rang out, and a bullet barely missed Isara.

"Enemies!" Alicia yelled out. You can use a gun, right?" she asked, turning toward Welkin.

"Uh...Yes." Welkin looked from Alicia's face to the gun she was holding out to him. "You're expecting me to shoot someone?"

"Well, we are in a war. You'd have to do it eventually."

Welkin took the gun from her, and looked at Isara.

"Get somewhere safe. I don't want you caught up in it."

Welkin and Alicia turned to face the enemy scouts.

"Two of them and three of us. Should be easy. Welkin, you take the guy over there. Noce, you check around. Make sure there aren't any more," Alicia said, appointing herself as the leader.

Welkin nodded and ran after the scout to the left. Know Bruhl and its landscape better than the enemy, he managed to find a good spot to set up an ambush for him. Welkin didn't have to wait long for the man to come in range, oblivious to Welkin's presence. Welkin took aim from around the tree, and fired five bullets into the enemy's chest. He watched as the man slumped to the ground, dead. Welkin looked down at the gun, shocked.

_I just killed someone. I shot him, and... Alicia might need help. I should go check on her. _Welkin quickly shook away the shock and ran off back toward Bruhl.

He met up with Alicia on the outskirts of town. She was talking to the young man she had called Noce. Welkin took note of his appearance: tanned complexion, dark brown hair with eyes to match.

"Ah, Welkin! You made it. That's good news. There doesn't seem to be any more of them around. We should be safe for now. Oh. This is Noce Wordsworth, a... friend of mine. Noce, this is Welkin Gunther."

"Nice to meet you," the men said as they shook each other's hand.

"Well, I really must be going. Isara and Martha need my help, so I guess I'll see you later." Welkin ran off to Martha's house. Alicia looked after him, much to Noce's irritation.

"Alicia, you just met him. Don't tell me you're in love with him," Noce muttered.

Welkin was resting outside when Alicia came over. He looked up from his seat on the ground, smiling.

"I came to apologize for earlier, Welkin. I shouldn't have skipped to conclusions like that. Would you like to go for a walk? If you don't have anything else to do, I mean." Alicia leaned forward, looking at Welkin's face.

"I'd love to," Welkin said as he stood. "Is, Martha! I'm going for a walk around town. See you later, okay!" he called into the house before setting off with Alicia.

"So, Welkin. Before the war started, what were you planning on doing with your life?"

"Hm? Oh. I was planning on becoming a teacher. I want to pass my love for nature onto the children, so that the beautiful world we live in doesn't get destroyed. What about you?" Welkin explained.

"Oh, me? I wanted to be a professional... Baker. I'm really good, too. Everyone in town says so. You have to try it, sometime," Alicia said with a smile.

"Maybe sometime after the war's over," Welkin said with a laugh. "Did you just hear something? Like something flying through the air?"

"No. Why? What did you-"

Alicia was cut off when something smashed into the windmill Bruhl was known for. It erupted into flames moments later. People started screaming as Imperials ran into town. Welkin and Alicia looked around as innocent civilians were shot down.

"Welkin, we have to do something!" Alicia yelled.

Welkin was more worried about something else.

"You take care of it. I have to make sure Martha and Isara are all right." Welkin turned and ran back the way they had come.

"Okay." Alicia summoned up the nearby town watch. "Listen up, guys! We need to defend Bruhl. The Imperials can't have my town," she said. "We'll defend the plaza, and make sure they can't get the town."

The rest nodded in agreement with her and hurried off to get into position.

Alicia and the town watch made it to the plaza, and held their ground for a few minutes. Then, they heard something driving. Alicia turned, and to her horror, saw a tank.

"Tank!" she yelled. "We can't do anything against that!" Alicia started running and the others followed her lead. They retreated to the front gate of town, where Alicia decided they would hold their ground. "We have to hold them here. Make sure the civilians get out of town!"

Alicia took a deep breath and turned to face the imperials.

"Isara, are you all right?" Welkin yelled, running into the house. Isara was sitting next to Martha, who appeared to be in labor.

"I'm fine, Welks. I'm more worried about Martha," Isara said.

"You're sure you're not hurt? I heard gunshots and..." Welkin noticed the Imperial laying dead on the floor. "But we can't stay here. What are we going to do?"

Isara looked up in sudden realization.

"Welks! We have your father's tank. The Edelweiss."

"But that thing could never-"

"I fixed it. It's in the barn, Welks. Go and get it. I'll help Martha," Isara told him.

Welkin ran to the barn next to the house, throwing the doors wide open. He stared long and hard at the tank before him. It was blue, and had an Edelweiss painted on one of its sides.

_Well, here goes nothing._ Welkin went over and climbed into the tank. He looked around, hoping he remembered enough of his classes to control it. After a deep breath, he started up the Edelweiss and drove it out of the barn. _So far so good. _Welkin climbed out of the Edelweiss and ran into the house.

"Ready Is?" Welkin asked. She nodded, and they helped Martha get into the tank. "All right. Let's go!" Welkin yelled.

Things weren't going as well for Alicia. She was pinned down an alleyway, crouching behind some wooden crates. Noce was beside her, but a well-placed bullet had rendered him useless.

"How's your arm?" she asked.

"Not bleeding too badly. Hurts like hell, though."

Alicia looked back around the crates to check the entrance. She relaxed when she saw that the imperial shocktroopers were gone. She turned and pulled Noce to his feet. Then, there was an explosion. Alicia ran to the entrance and cautiously looked around the corner. There was a blue tank shooting Imperials.

_That's a Gallian model..._ Alicia thought. She moved out into the street once the area was clear. The tank stopped, and Welkin popped out of the top of it.

"I'm so glad you're all right! What about the others?" Welkin asked. Alicia shook her head.

"Noce's with me, but I don't know about the others. He's injured, though." Alicia explained.

"Well, come on. We're getting out of here before any more show up," Welkin said.

A few minutes later, the tank was parked on the hill overlooking town. Alicia and Welkin were standing, looking down on the once-peaceful town.

"I can't believe they did this to my town," Alicia said. "We have to do something!"

"We could always join the militia," Welkin suggested. "Then we could do something about the Imperials."

"Welkin, we only met yesterday, but-"

"Welks!" Isara yelled, walking over. She was carrying a baby. "Look. Isn't he cute. Martha put me in charge while she takes a nap." welkin smiled and Alicia came over to get a better look.

"Aww, how cute. I wonder if I'll have babies this cute..." Alicia wondered out loud.

"Of course you will, Alicia. It's a fact of nature. All babies are cute. Besides, with you as their mother, there's no way they wouldn't be," Welkin assured her.

Alicia blushed.

"Doesn't it depend on the father as well?"

"Welks, we shouldn't stick around too long. Imperials could still be around," Isara interrupted.

"You're right, Is. Hey, Noce! Come here!" Noce came over, and welkin looked at him and Alicia. "So, are you two going to come to Randgriz with us, or go off on your own?"

"I'm staying with you," Alicia said.

"I go where Alicia goes," Noce stated.

"All right. Next stop: Randgriz!"


	2. Chapter 2

Vasel

Once Welkin was signed up and in his new uniform, he went to the captain's office. He stood outside the door for several long moments before finally knocking.

"Come in," a woman's voice said.

Welkin entered the room, noticing several others in there. He went to stand in front of the desk.

"Welkin Gunther, reporting for duty," he said.

"I'm Eleanor Varrot. But you will address me as Captain," she said.

"Yes, Captain."

"Now, I have placed you as Lieutenant of Squad 7. Miss Melchiott has been placed as sergeant in your squad. These gentlemen are your fellow Lieutenants. Get to know them before the meeting this afternoon. Also, I'd appreciate it if you could chose nineteen of these candidates to make up your squad." Varrot handed Welkin a folder with papers in it. "All of you are dismissed."

The group saluted, then left the room. Welkin began walking to his own office, but found a handsome young man with burnt orange hair and eyes standing in his way.

"I was in there, and you didn't even say hi to me. I thought we were friends, Welkin," Faldio said with a pout.

"Oh, I'm sorry Faldio. I'm just so busy getting used to this, learning what I'm supposed to do..." Welkin trailed off as Faldio stared at him.

"That's no excuse! You can't be too busy to say hi to your friends, Welkin!" Faldio took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. "But, you recognized me, so I guess it's all right."

"Well, we were roommates. After living in the same place, how could I not recognize you?" Welkin smiled at Faldio.

"Ah... You have a point. As usual. Well, see you around Welkin." Faldio turned and left. Welkin continued to his office.

The door had a '7' engraved on it, so Welkin knew he had gone to the right place. He pushed the door open and entered, looking around.

"Doesn't look much different from my room. Could use a little nature in the corner, maybe. I'll just open the window for now."

Welkin went over to the window, tossing the folder on his desk as he walked by. The moment he opened the window, he took a deep breath. There was a gentle breeze, and Welkin was more than happy to stay there. But, he had to figure out his squad first. With a sigh, he returned to his desk and the papers waiting for him there.

A long half an hour later, Welkin had finally chosen the members of his squad. They were as follows;

Scouts: Ted Ustinov, Aika Thompson, Montley Leonard, and Noce Wordsworth.

Shocktroopers: Vyse Inglebard, Salinas Milton, Alex Raymond, Kevin Abbott, and Brigitte Stark.

Lancers: Nils Daerden, Hector Calvey, and Largo Potter.

Engineers: Herbert Nielson, Homer Peron, Dallas Wyatt, and Nadine.

Snipers: Cezary Regard, Emile Bielert, and Oscar Bielert.

"All done," welkin sighed. "I better drop by R&D Division now."

Welkin left his office, making sure to take the folder with him. A short walk brought him to the R&D Division, where mechanics were running around working on all of the tanks and tinkering with things. Two of them noticed him, and came over looking relieved. One of them had his eyes closed, brown hair, and goggles on his head. The other's hair was a dark green color.

"Hey! You must be Welkin Gunther, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Leon Schmidt," the one with his eyes closed said.

"Leon! I'm sorry about him, Lieutenant Gunther. He seems to think everyone's his friend the moment he talks to them. I'm Kreis Czherny. Nice to meet you, " the green-haired one said.

"KC and I are your mechanics!" Leon said, obviously excited. "We've been waiting for you to show up for a while now. Hey, what's your relationship to Isara? She just won't shut up about you. We've tried getting her to talk about something else, but-"

"Leon! Let him answer the question," Kreis interrupted. Leon gave him a mock apologetic look, and stared at Welkin.

"Well, she's my sister. Look, I need to go. It was nice meeting you," Welkin said as he started walking off.

"Remember, if you need anything, just give us a call!" Leon yelled after him.

Welkin waved to show he had heard, and returned to Varrot's office.

"I've chosen my squad, Captain," Welkin reported.

"Good. Give me the list. I'll send them to meet you. Dismissed."

Welkin saluted, and left her office. He returned to his own office to await his squad. It took no longer than twenty minutes. The entire group of twenty stood at attention, making him feel nervous.

"At ease, Sevens. I just want to know who's who, and your ages."

It took less time than Welkin had thought it would for all of them to introduce themselves. Welkin made sure to take mental notes on appearances to tell them apart. There was a knock at the door as he opened his mouth to say something.

"Welkin. I'm coming in," Faldio's voice came through the door. A few seconds later, he was walking into the room. "I was just thinking. Since we're both here, I mean, if you don't have anything to do Friday," Faldio was cut off when they were called into Varrot's office. Minutes later, they were standing at attention in front of her desk.

"Lieutenants, we need to take back Vasel Bridge. It's an important supply route. Lieutenant Gunther, as our newest Lieutenant, I'd like you to be in charge of this operation. I'm sure we'd all like to see what General Gunther's son can do. Now, get your squad together and come up with something. Dismissed! The rest of you, wait here for further instruction."

Welkin saluted and left her office for the third time that day. When he returned to his own office, he was surprised to see that his squad was still there.

"We thought it would be proper to wait for your return, Welkin," Alicia said.

"Oh. Thanks, guys. It's a good thing you did. We have our first job. We need to take back Vasel Bridge. So, any ideas?"

"Isn't that _your_ job?" Cezary asked. "I mean, you are the Lieutenant."

"Cezary, don't talk to your superiors that way..." Kevin muttered.

"Shouldn't we take back our side of the bridge first, Welks?" Isara said, coming into the room.

"Good idea, Is. Okay, Sevens! We're going to take back our side of the bridge. We can figure out what to do from there."

"I won't have to be near those filthy Darcsens, will I?" Rosie and Cezary asked at the same time.

"You really will need to learn to get along, you know," Welkin mumbled. "Come, on. Move out!"

A few hours later, they were in position to take back their side of the bridge. The squad was more or less divided in half, some with Welkin, and some in town.

"All right. Ready, Sevens? We need to clear this place of Imperials. They probably have tanks, so be careful!" Welkin lowered himself into his tank. "Alicia, go take a look in that grass by the bank. We don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

Alicia nodded and ran off, getting cautious close to the grass. While she checked out that area, Welkin put himself in motion. He drove the Edelweiss straight up the center of the road, crushing the sandbags and one of the shocktroopers there beneath the Edelweiss. Cezary took careful aim and shot a bullet into the other shocktrooper's head as he ran to avoid getting crushed. Welkin stopped at the top of the slope, right after the corner of the building. There was a tank over there, as well as quite a few Imperials. Welkin and the tank shot rounds at each other while the Imperials thought they could run past Welkin. Cezary, from his post at the bottom of the slope, picked them off as they came around the building.

Alicia seemed to be holding her own just fine, until a shocktrooper popped up out of the grass. She gasped and stopped, falling to the ground as he began shooting. Once he was out of bullets and had to reload, she made her move. He barely had time to kneel down when Alicia put a bullet in his head. She looked up toward where Welkin was, and started running up there to join him. There was an explosion when she got halfway up the slope, and the Edelweiss looked like it needed repairs.

"Hey, Dallas! Welkin needs help!" Alicia yelled. Dallas nodded, coming up beside her. She ran over to the Edelweiss, getting ready to repair whatever she could.

Cezary looked at the twins, who were on a roof, and nodded. Emile smiled.

"Time to go, Oscar. Let's make Him proud." Oscar nodded his agreement and they moved to the other side of the building. "Remember, if the fools leave an opening, take it. There isn't any room for mistakes. That's what Mr. Regard said."

The two of them looked down on their own camp, watching for any Imperials trying to be sneaky.

"Won't they know we're here, Em? I mean, they'd expect snipers, wouldn't they?" Oscar asked, worried.

"Nah. Imperials are arrogant. Why would they think we've got snipers? I mean, they probably think we're a bunch of good-for-nothing farmhands. Oh, there's one. Coming up from behind, the dirty trickster. Get him, Oscar!" Emile pointed him out, and Oscar took aim. The bullet flew home with near-perfect accuracy.

"Wow. Did you see him collapse? Let's find another one." Oscar said. Emile couldn't agree more.

In the camp, Vyse stood with Hector, bored out of his mind. He was supposed to wait for Welkin's order, but it was taking an awfully long time. And no Imperials had gotten close enough to pose any threat, either. He sighed, shifting position.

"Calm down, Vyse. You'll get your chance soon enough," Hector informed him.

"I know, I know. It's just so boring," Vyse whined.

"I don't mind," Herbert said as he approached. "That just means we have a less chance of dying."

"Have you seen anything, Herbert? I'm dying of boredom, here!"

"No, not really. Not that I've been-" Herbert was cut off when they could all hear the wall crashing down. That could mean only one thing.

"Finally!" Vyse yelled in joy. Hector put an arm out to stop him from running out there and getting himself killed.

"That was a tank. You can't just run out there. You'll get killed." He looked across the way, to Largo, who had seemed to have reached a conclusion. Hector went around the corner slightly, falling back when the tank shot it's cannon at his position. Largo ran a little ways out, followed by Rosie, making his way around it while Hector kept it occupied. The twins fired at Imperial Shocktroopers who came through the hole in the wall before they got a chance to shoot at anyone. Rosie kept Largo alive while he took aim at the tank's exposed engine. One shot, and it was a goner. The others ran out from where they were to get rid of the remaining Imperials.

"How's it holding up?" Welkin asked over the intercom.

"All right, boss," Largo responded. "There was a tank, but we dealt with it."

"Nobody was hurt, right?"

"We're all fine."

"All right, now move in and take back the town."

Hearing Welkin's order, the shocktroopers moved into town. Vyse went trigger-happy on every Imperial he saw, taking care of most of the problem. Aika ran through the battlefield to take the camp. The shocktroopers killed the last of the Imperials as she made it. Welkin hopped up out of his tank.

"Good job, Sevens! We've taken this side of the bridge. The Captain should be pleased. Now, we just need a strategy for the other side..." Welkin seemed to go off into his own little world as they stood, waiting for his next order. "We need to go down to the river. I need to check something." Welkin ran off to the riverbank, sliding to a stop before he landed in it. "It doesn't look too deep... We could probably cross it if we could just find a way... Oh, look. There're some fish in here. They're so beautiful. How are you? If you don't mind, we need to cross through your home sometime soon."

"Is he talking to the fish? ...I think the Lieutenant's crazy," Cezary said, talking to Kevin.

"My brother isn't crazy!" Isara said, standing behind the two of them. Cezary turned to say something, but appeared to have changed his mind.

"I don't know how anyone can stand being around those filthy-"

"Cezary!" Kevin hissed at his friend, wanting him to shut his mouth.

"It's true, Kevin. They're filthy, good-for-nothing little-"

"Cezary, stop it. You're not being nice at all."

"Well, why should I show one of _them _any kindness? They don't care about anyone but their own people, and don't think about what anyone else thinks."

"That's a little hypocritical, isn't it? We haven't been showing them much of those, either. Maybe if everyone was a little nicer to each other and got over these petty issues,"

"Kevin, they destroyed the area of Barious. How could we possibly forgive them for that?"

"You don't even know if it was them or not! There's no proof linking the Darcsens to that," Isara yelled angrily.

"Now, now. Cezary, apologize to Isara." Welkin was coming over with an irritated look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Darcsen," Cezary said sarcastically.

"Good. Isara, do you think we could use those things you were making? The ones that are supposed to make it so you can get a tank across a river?"

"It'll take a while, Welks. I'm not even entirely sure they'll work properly," Isara said.

"Well, at least try Is."

It was nightfall by the time Isara was done. Welkin stood, looking out across the river. the Edelweiss was next to him, fully prepared for its travel through the river. He looked back at his squad, and smiled.

"Ready? We're going to take those Imperials by surprise, and take back the rest of Vasel. It's the dead of night, so they shouldn't be waiting for us. We shouldn't need to worry about tanks, but I want Hector to come with me, just in case. Cezary, you're coming with me as well. Herbert, Salinas, Alex, and Montley will come as well. The rest of you, make sure the Imperials don't take this side back," Welkin ordered. "Alicia, you're in charge on this side."

It didn't take long for them to cross the river. Welkin looked at the members of his squad that surrounded him. He nodded, and Montley ran off. It didn't take long for Montley to return.

"No one's out. We could just go in and occupy their main base. They don't even have scouts on watch duty." Montley gave his report quickly and quietly. Welkin nodded.

"All right. Alex, get in there and occupy their main base. Contact me when you're done. The rest of you, make sure none of the Imperials wander out for any reason and alert the rest. The last thing we want is for them to be on the offensive."

Alex nodded, and ran off , following the road. He looked around, making sure no Imperials could catch him off guard. Not that he was expecting any to be out. But his mother always said, "It's better to be safe than sorry, Alex. Remember that before you get yourself into more trouble than it's worth." He smiled, thinking of his mother.

_Get a hold of yourself, Alex. You've got a job to do, _he thought. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

As he neared the enemy main camp, a feeling of unease settled in his stomach. It was almost too easy. His mind was screaming at him to retreat, to get out of there before something happened to him. But he ignored those thoughts, and continued approaching the building. Alex stopped just outside the door, gently pressing his ear against it. He didn't hear anything, and assumed nobody was up. Still being cautious, he pushed the door open. Alex looked around the corner of the doorframe. Still nothing. He went around the corner into the room. His grip tightened on the gun in his hands as he made his way across the room. It didn't take him long to find his way to the commanding officer's room. Alex pushed the door open, to find the man starting to sit up in his bed. Alex reacted quickly, shooting the man in the head before he knew what hit him. He went over to the desk, going into the top drawer in search of a key. He found it under a stack of papers, grabbed it, and left the room. Alex ran to the building on the right side of the bridge. He stopped in front of the door, unlocked it, and entered the control room. Once the door was shut behind him, he contacted Welkin.

"Lieutenant, I've taken back the bridge," Alex said as he pulled the lever to pull the bridge up.

"I see. Good job, Alex. Our mission is done."

Within minutes, the city of Vasel was back under Gallia's control. Squad Seven returned to Headquarters after handing the city and its remaining Imperials over to the military.


	3. Chapter 3

Largo's Passion

All right, Sevens. The Imperials have cut off our farms. It's our job to get them out of there and free our farms. Reports say they have two tanks, which means-"

"I'll go, Boss," Largo interrupted Welkin. His expression was very serious.

"Um, okay. Largo it is. And one more... Ted. You're good in the dark, so you'll come too. You two meet me back here this evening. You can all go to lunch now," Welkin finished his meeting, and the squad left.

That night, Largo, Welkin, and Ted were in the village to get rid of the Imperials.

"The tanks should be at the other end of this road. We obviously can't approach them from the front, so we'll have to go around through town. That's where you come in, Ted. You can see better in the dark than I can. There should be a building up the hill directly in front of us. Go to the roof, then tell me what you can see," Welkin explained.

"Aye, aye, Ringmaster!" Ted said, saluting. He went off up the hill.

"So, Largo. Why were you so eager to come with me?"

"Well, my family owns this farm. It went under a few months back, and I want to fix it. So, when I heard the Imps were blocking off the farms, I got a little angry," Largo answered.

"Welkin! I made it. There's a house across from this building, on the other side of a wall. An Imperial's over there. The road goes up a hill at the end of the village. It should bring us up next to the tanks," Ted reported.

"Good job, Ted. Stay there and we'll come join you."

Ted nodded, even though Welkin couldn't see him. Figuring it would help, Ted took aim at the Imperial. He was about to shoot when a woman came out a back door in the house. The Imperial said something to her, and she jumped on him. Ted couldn't help but stare as they started kissing, falling over into the grass. Ted could feel his face heat up, turning away when they started losing clothes.

_Of all the things to see during an operation... _Ted thought. He hurried down the ladder just in time to see Largo and Welkin coming over.

"Don't need to worry about the Imperial, boss. His girlfriend's distracting him," Ted reported.

The three of them followed the road, and cautiously went around the bend in the road. Ted peeked around the corner at the end of the wall, and pulled back when an Imperial Gatling Gun started shooting at him.

"Guess they don't like clowns very much, huh. Well, that's okay. So, Ringmaster. How're we going to get past that guy?"

Welkin stood with a look of concentration on his face. Suddenly, he moved, lifting himself onto largo's shoulders and jumping over the wall. Welkin landed, stood, and took aim at the approximate location of the man's head.

_I'm no sniper, but this should work._ Welkin fired his rifle five times, sure at least one of them would hit. A bullet hit the man, and he fell backward. Welkin yelled over the wall.

"It's clear now!"

Largo and Ted came around the wall.

"Don't you ever do anything like that again, Boss. Nearly gave me a heart attack." Largo said.

"What if you had died? The circus can't go on without the ringmaster!" Ted said.

"Oh, sorry guys. It was the first thing that came to mind. I didn't want to put Ted in danger like that. Well, anyway, let's go. The hill is just over there, isn't it? Come on." Welkin started off, ignoring Ted and Largo's protests. Ted and Largo looked at each other before going after Welkin.

After shooting an Imperial lancer and scout, they got to the top of the hill. Welkin and Largo went to the edge, and looked down on the two tanks.

"All right, Largo. Think you can hit their radiators?"

"No problem, Boss." Largo moved to the side a bit, and took aim at the first tank's radiator. He fired, and the tank exploded. He repeated with the other. "All taken care of, Boss."

Welkin nodded.

"Good. Operation complete."

The three of them sat on the hill, looking up at the stars.

"So, you're going to take over the family farm?" Ted asked Largo, leaning forward to look past Welkin.

"Well, yeah. Once the war's over. I've got this dream. I'm gonna marry Elle and live on the family farm with her. Pretty simple, huh?"

"Simple's fine, Largo. We can't all have crazy dreams. Mine's to become a teacher," Welkin said.

"And I want to be a clown!" Ted input.

"You're all ready a clown, kid," Largo laughed.

"Well, Largo, I'll make sure I come over once in a while. I'm sure you make a wonderful farmer."


	4. Chapter 4

Kloden Wildwood

It was a few days after Vasel, and the Lieutenants had been summoned to Varrot's office. Faldio and Welkin had met up in the hall, and were going together.

"Say, Welkin. What're you going to do when the war's over?"

"We've only been through one battle, and you're already thinking about what to do when it's over?" There was a laugh in Welkin's voice, which caused Faldio's heart to skip a beat. "Well.. I have always wanted to be a teacher. So, I suppose I'd just end up doing that. What about you, Faldio? What do you have planned?"

Faldio was silent for a few minutes.

"Well, I'm hoping to win over the one I love and live happily ever after," Faldio finally said.

"Oh, really?" Welkin's voice sounded teasing. "Who is she, Faldio? Someone I know?"

Welkin looked over at Faldio and stopped. Turning, he saw that while he had continued walking, Faldio had stopped. A blush had spread across Faldio's face, and he had a far-off look in his eyes. He was quite obviously daydreaming, and Welkin feared that if he didn't snap him out of it, then his friend would embarrass himself.

"Faldio, hellooo," Welkin said. Faldio only grinned. "Come back to me, Faldio." Welkin shook his friend by the shoulders, but it didn't seem to do anything. So he did the next best thing. He slapped him. Faldio snapped right out of it and stared at Welkin.

"What was that for?"

"You were daydreaming, and I know how you get when you're daydreaming. I figured you didn't want anyone to overhear you. We need to get to Varrot's office. Now, who is she, Faldio? The one you want to live happily ever after with?"

"Maybe I want it to be a surprise... You know them pretty well, actually." Faldio hurried down the hall, laughing. Welkin went after him, yelling.

"It better not be Isara, Faldio!"

Faldio laughed again.

"No, not her! Someone else!" Faldio ran around the corner and stopped in front of Varrot's office. Welkin came to a stop next to him.

"Well then who-"

"Not now. Varrot's expecting us, remember?" Faldio knocked twice. They entered the room after they were told to come in.

"All right. Now that you're all here, I have important news. Taking back Vasel has pushed the Imperials into Central Gallia. The military is moving to engage them there. We are going south to Kloden. The Imperials have a supply base there. If we can capture it, it'll take them longer to get supplies to their troops in Central Gallia. All squads are to prepare for woodland combat. we leave in an hour. Dismissed!"

The lieutenants left the room, hurrying off to gather their squads and give them their new orders.

"It's going to be a nightmare, Welkin." Faldio said as they were walking down the hall.

"Why's that?"

"It's easy to lose your sense of direction, and poor roads make for slow advances."

"It won't be too bad, Faldio. Just pay attention to your surroundings, and use them to your advantage. You never know. The key to victory could be hiding in the foliage somewhere." Welkin smiled. "Just be careful. There's this one plant that-"

"Welkin, I really don't think now's the time for-"

"-and after it catches you, you're stuck. Then, the flower-"

"Welkin! Please, no nature lecture!" Faldio yelled.

"Oh. Sorry, Faldio. I just can't help myself. You know how I get. But seriously, be careful."

"Of course, Welkin. I'll be careful. Well, see you later." Faldio ran off to his office, leaving Welkin to go to his by himself.

The Triumviri were gathered in the council room, discussing the invasion of Gallia. Selvaria Bles, the only woman, sat playing with the collar of her shirt. She did Lord Maximilian's bidding, and so didn't have to pay attention. Radi Jaeger had his seat tipped back and his feet on the table. He was asleep, which was unusual for him. Prince Maximilian had a sleepy look on his face, as though he'd rather be in bed dreaming. Berthold Gregor was the only one in the room who seemed to have any interest in the conversation at hand.

"... have taken back Vasel. The sneaky vermin crossed the river with a tank in the dead of night. Our main forces had to pull back to Central Gallia. It's embarassing. Mere peasants are defeating the might of our military. It should be the other way around." Gregor looked around the room and sighed.

_Why does no one ever listen? _he thought.

_I do listen, Berthold. And you're right. Mere peasants have no place defeating a military force such as ours. _

"We must defeat these Gallinas," Maximilian said as he stood. He walked down to the table and pointed at the map as he spoke. "Gregor. Restucture Our main forces in Central Gallia. Jeager." Everyone looked at the still sleeping general. "Radi!" Jeager jumped to full awareness in an instant.

"Yes, Maximilian?" he asked.

"You must go to Kloden. Be sure the Gallians do not take Our supply base. Selvaria," at the mention of her name, Selvaria looked up. "you shall accompany Us to Barious right away."

The three generals saluted Prince Maximilian and left the room to do what was asked of them.

Squad Seven was in the Kloden Wildwood, somewhere near one of the Empire's supply bases. The squad was in a relatively good mood, ersting after hours of walking. Welkin was busy trying to come up with a stategy as the squad did what they wanted. Nadine sat with her back against a tree, trying to write a story in the journal Cezary had given her when he got angry at her asking him to remember what she had said.

"What're you writing, Nadine?" Salinas asked, coming over and sitting beside her.

"A romance. It's about a pirate who meets a man in a port town. The man joins the pirate in his quest to find the Eternal Heart. Over the course of the journey, the man's past is going to be revealed, and the pirate is going to find something worth more to him than some treasure."

Are there any sex scenes in this story of yours?" Salinas interrupted.

"Of course. It wouldn't be a romance if there wasn't." Nadine laughed. "Though, they are gay, so I'll have to talk to Jann Walker for some help. If he doesn't mind explaiing to me, of course."

"Say, could I read it sometime?"

"You sure you want to?" Nadine asked. Salinas blushed.

"It sounds interesting."

"Well, I've barely gotten to the point where they meet. But sure, if you want." Nadine got back to her writing as Salinas stood and wandered off in search of something else to do.

Alicia walked over to Welkin and smiled.

"So what's the plan, Welkin?"

"I'm not sure yet, Alicia. Something feels off to me. I can't- hm? What's that?" Welkin looked over at a bush, where he kept seeing a flash of pink. As he watched, a little pink nose poked out through the leaves again. welkin went over and parted the leaves, finding a small Porcavian. "Oh, hello. Do you live in these woods? Where's your mother?" The Porcavian made a sound that sounded something like 'moink'. "You do? Oh, you poor thing. Well, you can stay with us now. If squad one can have a peacock, suad seven can have a Porcavian." Welkin reached down and lifted him from in the bushes. "We just need a name for you. What do you think, Alicia?" Welkin turned and showed the Porcavian to Alicia.

"A name? What about Hans?" Alicia smiled.

"Hans? I was thnking something more along the lines of Charlemagne. what do you think?"

Welkin looked down at the Porcavian, who was looking back at him. The Porcavian turned toward Alicia and said 'moink'.

"All right. Hans it is!" Alicia laughed, overjoyed.

Welkin frowned.

Okat, then Hans. Have you seen any camps? They have big buildins and a fence around them," Welkin asked Hans. Hans said 'moink' again. Weklin set him down and he ran off down one of the animal trails. "Alicia, look after the squad. I'll be back as soon as I can."

It was a while before Welkin returned to camp with Hans.

"The Imperial camp is right nearby, Sevens. We need to finish this before nightfall. That doesn't give us much time. Nadine, Salinas, Hector, Noce, Homer, and Vyse. You six will come with me. Snipers, be on the lookout in case any Imperials wnader down here. Alicia, you're in charge if anything happens." Welkin and the six he chose set out with the Edelweiss. Welkin stopped them when they came to a fork in the road. "We split up here. There are three paths. One follows the animal trail to our left, one goes straight, and the last one goes to the right farther up this road. Noce, you follow the one to the right. It should bring you up next to their camp. I don't expect they'll have many people out that way. Salinas, Homer, and Hector, take the trail to the left. If you follow it far enough, I expect you'll end up on the other sidde of their camp. Just be careful. Nadine ans Vyse will follow the Edelweiss. Kill every Imperial on sight, and take all of their camps. Now, go!"

Welkin lowered himself into the Edelweiss as his squad set off. Isara spoke up as he got ready.

"Welks, there could be landmines. They'd want to make sure their suply base is safe."

"Good point, Is. You hear that, guys? Watch out for landmines. If you step on one, you're history."

"This is getting exciting, huh, Nadine?' Vyse said to the Darcsen next to him.

Nadine stared at him as though he was insane, looking away when the Edelweiss started moving.

Noce cautiously made his way up the trail leading to the right of the Imperial camp. He had already been caught off-guard by an Imperial scout, and once again got his arm hit. Luckily,the bullet had only grazed him this time. He had fired two shots, aiming for the scout's heart. The scout had gone down, blood spreading from the wound and staining his uniform. He didn't want to be caught off-guard agian, and was taking extra care to watch his surroundings. When he reached the end of the path, he found himself in an area overlooking the camp. Near the edge of the cliff was a man at what appeared to be an anti-tank cannon. Wincing at the pain in his arm, Noce raised his gun and took aim at the Imperial's back, guessing where his heart would be. He fired quickly, and set his gun on the ground. The Imperial fell over onto the cannon, and stoped moving. Noce moved forward, hoping he wasn't spotted by anyone below.

"Welkin, I've got a report," Noce whispered into the communication device. "There's a tank in the camp. I think it belongs to a general. Also, the Imperials appear to be evacuating the camp."

"Ah. Thanks, Noce. Is there anything you could do about that tank?"

"Well, there's an anti-tank cannon here. I could use it."

"Yes, please." Welkin cut off, turning his attention elsewhere.

Noce moved the dead Imperial off the cannon, and started looking at the weapon to see how it worked. A hit to the back of his head caused him to lose consciousness. A young woman came over, taking the communication device from Noce.

"Lieutenant Gunther, you'd do best to leave that tank alone," the woman said to Welkin. "I may be Gallian, but if you hurt my Radi, you won't like the consequences." She said in a sing-sng voice before hanging up, leaving Noce's body where he had fallen.

Salinas, Hector, and Homer had also seen the general's tank in the camp. Hector had gone to shoot it, but found himself knocked flat on his face, Salinas sitting on top of him.

"Don't," he said.

"Salinas, it's a tank. If we don't get rid of it, it could cause problems for us," Hector argued.

"Didn't you see it? It's the most gorgeous thing I've ever had the honor of looking upon. The shape is just perfect and the way the-"

"Salinas, enough. It's a tank, for crying out loud. And get off me. Your uniform isn't hiding your arousal very well, and it's disturbing me."

Salinas' face turned a dark shade of red and he got up off of Hector.

"Be quiet, you two. We don't want the Imperials to catch us," Homer said.

The three of them turned when they heard a shout, and someone talking.

"General Jaeger. We're almost ready."

Then, the Edelweiss came through the front gate of the camp, accompanied by Vyse shooting every Imperial he layed eyes on, quickly running out of ammo. Welkin noticed the Lupus, and took aim to shoot. Before he could fire a single round, he heard a loud, yet feminine sneeze in the momentary silence.

"Shit. Retreat! Leave everything, just get the hell out of here!" General Jaeger yelled to his men, as he retreated his tank.

A young woman ran out from the trees, and attempted to shoot the Lupus' wheels. She missed, and turned to look at the people from Squad Seven. She had slightly wavy, shoulder-length light brown hair and green eyes.

"You were going to shoot my Radi, weren't you," she said, angry look on her face. "I've been following him for quite a while now, and I won't have the militia screwing up all my planning by killing him. So, why don't you just be a dear and leave him to me." The young woman left without another word.

"Well, Sevens, we completed our task. I don't think the Imperials will be coming back here, judging by how much they already took out of here. Let's join up with the others and return to headquarters."

-Notes: I hadn't met Audrey yet, but I wanted her in here somewhere, so I put her in this way.


End file.
